--Steve Rowe, Endowment for Health President
The Endowment for Health program directors and I are fresh from the Collective Impact conference in Waterville Valley earlier this month. This was an invigorating four days participating with organizations from all over New England. We gathered to talk about how we can accomplish more together. Quite simply, collective impact is an approach that helps diverse organizations come together to solve complex social problems.
The saying, “faster alone, farther together,” really resonates with me. Taking the time to build a common vision and to mobilize around important issues is essential. Certainly, the Endowment for Health cannot do its work without a wide array of community partners. So the notion of working even more closely to pursue mutual goals in a coordinated, structured and collaborative approach has me energized and optimistic about our future together in New Hampshire.
Since my arrival at the Endowment a few months ago, my focus has really been to meet with people – the staff, the board, our community partners and others throughout the State of New Hampshire to LISTEN and LEARN -- to get to know about New Hampshire and its people and the changing needs in these difficult economic times.
All of this information will feed into the Endowment’s strategic planning process, now underway, as we create a roadmap for the future based on how New Hampshire is changing and evolving. We expect to share this new roadmap with all of you early this coming spring.
I am excited to continue exploring how our new direction will dovetail with yours. It’s about working better with our existing partners and establishing ties with new partners as well – including the public and nonprofit sectors, business, government and foundations. Though our missions may vary, oftentimes we share common purpose around large social issues. We have an opportunity to find that “sweet spot” where our work collectively moves us forward and makes life better for our fellow Granite Staters.
I’m impressed with the fact that most everyone I’ve met since arriving in New Hampshire truly appreciates the importance of good health. It’s much more than just keeping people from getting sick. Good health is essential to the realization of human potential and it’s critical for our individual and collective well-being. Good health is also absolutely necessary to sustain a high quality of life and strong economy in New Hampshire.
While it’s true there are a great many challenges facing the health of New Hampshire's people, there are just as many opportunities. Our job is to work together to leverage our collective impact to take advantage of those opportunities. I know we’ll do just that.
Comments